President Barack Obama speaks at SXSW Music

13 March 2016

Newsdesk

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After visiting Austin’s own Torchy’s Tacos (during which he ordered not only a Democrat taco, but also a Republican and an Independent from the menu), President Barack Obama stepped onto the stage of Dell Hall at the Long Center on Friday.

The President entered to a standing ovation—he is the first sitting president to ever grace the stage of a SXSW event.

The President, in a conversation with Editor-in-Chief of The Texas Tribune, Evan Smith, called on the SXSW audience, and the tech industry at-large, to solve the nation’s biggest problems by working in conjunction with the United States government. "It’s not enough to focus on the cool, next big thing," Obama said, "It’s harnessing the cool, next big thing to help people in this country."

He also reminded the audience about the campaign that he ran on in 2008, saying "If you recall, the slogan wasn’t 'yes I can,' it was 'yes we can,'" encouraging attendees and listeners around the country to make an impact in their communities.

Watch other SXSW Interactive Keynotes and Featured Speakers live on sxsw.com/live.